BOSH takes off

Company diversifies its contracts as it continues to grow

The Department of Defense’s overall budget may be dropping, but the government is increasing its allocation for unmanned aircraft systems. That’s good news for Newport-News based BOSH Global Services. “Unmanned aircraft systems are the future,” says BOSH’s president, Robert Fitzgerald.

Just as the world of unmanned aircraft systems is expanding, so is BOSH. The company, which provides unmanned systems technology support services, began its push to diversify its clientele in 2008, securing several key contracts last year.

BOSH, formerly known as UAV Communications, became the first company awarded a contract by the United States Air Force Academy to provide unmanned aircraft systems training. “Our training arm is new,” Fitzgerald says. “It’s one of our major growth areas for the future.”

BOSH will teach Air Force cadets how to employ unmanned aircraft systems in an air war that is traditionally full of manned aircraft. Cadets will be taught the concept of operations, tactics, techniques and procedures. “We will give them a general idea of what unmanned aircraft systems provide the war fighter,” Fitzgerald says. “We’ll do that in a classroom environment and then take them out into the field for hands-on training, teaching them how to fly the aircraft.”

The company also won a significant contract with the headquarters Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base last year. BOSH will provide technical and operational subject-matter experts to the Air Operations Center at Langley and a number of other Air Force locations.

A 22-year Air Force veteran, Fitzgerald started BOSH when he realized the unmanned aircraft market was one of the few growth industries among Department of Defense contractors. In the past six years, the company’s revenue has increased more than 6,000 percent, he says.

Last year, BOSH was selected by the Special Operations Command to provide small, unmanned aircraft system training. “We train special-operations guys before they are deployed,” Fitzgerald explains.
He expects commercial markets to start using unmanned systems once the FAA loosens the restrictions on flying small unmanned aircraft systems in national air space. “We expect that in three to five years,” he says.